


Free! Yume Edition 2020

by Rins_Butterfly



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, I'm honestly surprised I haven't posted stuff about me and Rin here yet., Tho this is a comfy place for me so ye, YumeCentral, Yumeweek2020, rin matsuoka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27812497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rins_Butterfly/pseuds/Rins_Butterfly
Summary: Short stories and drabbles in honor of YumeCentral's YumeWeek2020 that is happening on Twitter. Feel free to read or scroll by if you'd like since this will just be a bunch of stories about me and Rin Matsuoka ❤️
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Reader
Kudos: 1





	1. First Meeting 🌹

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the end of each chapter, there will be a song that I heard while making this! I hope you'll get the chance to hear them from time-to-time! WIthout further delay, enjoy!

“I’m sure you’ll like him, Ina! He is someone that you’ll have lots of common with.”

“Well, I trust what you, Haru, and the others say about him.”

My colleague, Tachibana Makoto, gave out his soft chuckle as the two of us made our way into a nearby aquarium. We were both majoring in the same career field where we wish to work with kids. It took me a while to warm up to him since I usually only consider colleagues as….well….just classmates. Moreover, he’s a guy…and I usually end up being super shy around them and not that talkative. Despite all these thoughts, Makoto still tried to knock on the shut doors in my life and showed me his amazing friends. 

Yet….every time I’m around them, I get the same comment over and over again. 

_'You sound just like Rin.'_

At first, I didn’t mind the comments, but there comes a point about how much everyone kept comparing me to…someone I never met. It felt unsettling, but at least now I’ll meet this so-famous ‘Rin’ that people kept marching on about. 

“We’re here…but I don’t see him.” My footsteps stopped as I overheard Makoto’s meek voice. He looked all over the area for his friend. I turned over and scanned the area myself.“You said he had red hair and usually wore a hat, right?” I asked.“Yes. He’s always on time too.” Makoto responded. Eventually, he gave out a heavy and defeated sigh. “Well…I guess we should wait while he’s—“

“Yo! Sorry, I’m late.”

Makoto’s words trailed as an unknown voice boomed out from behind. I felt myself turn over as my eyes stared over at an unfamiliar person. Who was he? Is he— “Ah! Rin! So glad that you’re here!” Makoto called out to the unknown man. Oh, so that is Rin.

“Yeah, long time no see!”

He seems just as eager to meet Makoto, so I guess that’s a good sign. Perhaps I should just let them talk for a bit and let them catch up. However, the plan completely backfired as Makoto pat my back.“Ah! That’s right! Rin, I’d like for you to meet my colleague, Ina! She and I share the same dream of working with kids.”

At that moment, I began to give out a shy smile and waved at the man.“H-Hey…How’s it going?” 

Rin looked down at me with a surprised expression. Yet it was only for a brief moment until he suddenly turned it into a wide grin—Wait…whoa…his teeth—

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rin Matsuoka.”

Hold up…was that English he spoke? I looked up at home, where my dark brown eyes gazed at his ruby ones. Oh, we’ll get along fine, alright. But little did I knew that this was the start of something new. Just imagining that if I never knew him, we would never get the chance to witness each other’s strengths, hopes, dreams, and more. It was from that very moment; both of our lives have changed. 

"...Nice to meet you too." I responded, extending my hand to Rin. His expression remained the same as he reached out to shake my hand with his own. 

Yes. It all started at the beginning....with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~It was at that moment Makoto knew, he was the third-wheeling for the rest of the evening.~~
> 
> Due to my busy schedule, this story maybe updated or not. I just wrote this on a whim of having an idea where I met Rin through Makoto. Not too long ago, a friend mentioned if I had a story about me inserting myself in the free! Universe. The thought never occurred to me and I always believed I didn’t have one. Then about a week or two later, I suddenly remembered when a friend and I always did our inside jokes and how I mentioned to her about our first meet with the boys. Yeah, idk why I keep thinking it would be in an aquarium or something cheesy. I just don't expect out meeting to be so fancy really other than being casual to one another. But regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading this about us.
> 
> **Song heard while making this:** “If I never knew you from Pocahontas."& "At the beginning from Anastasia."


	2. Flowers, Rose 🌹

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meaning behind the 🌹in our relationship.

_“Now I know she'll never leave me_

_Even as she fades from view_

_She will still inspire me_

_Be a part of everything I do”_

So moved. So beautiful. This song always gets to me on so such a personal level. But I would not admit this to a lot of people. But if there was one person I did admit this to, it was Rin.

On the night of the opening movie of beauty and the beast live-action film, Rin noticed that I cried much harder than he did. I remember being open to him about always feeling like I had no one by my side, despite having everything around me that I could have.

It was as if….I had a strong connection with the beast.

To this day, I still feel this way each time I look at the beast. Always alone, isolated, and never to be wanted or loved. It was as if I lived a life with a curse where no one truly cared for me.

“Oi. Did you fall asleep?”

My mind broke from its thoughts as I looked up to see a concerned boyfriend of mine. I smiled up at him as I nuzzled closer to him as we both were cuddling on the couch.

“I’m fine~ Just…in thought, really,” I said, letting my head rest on his shoulder as I kept my eyes glued to the screen.

“About?” He asked.

“….the beast….” I whispered. Unfortunately, Rin heard the whisper. My eyes were too focused on the screen to pay attention to Rin’s actions.

“….Do you remember why the beast kept protecting the rose?” Rin asked. When he did, my eyes looked away from the screen and stared at the floor.

“Yeah, it’s like part of his spell where it’s basically his life.”

“Well…that, but do you ever think about how that Rose represents his heart?”

The moment Rin mentions this, my eyes gazed upon Rin’s sleepy yet beautiful ruby eyes. Eventually, he looked down at me with a smile and pulled me close to him.

“Each time a petal falls, his heart is slowly dying. His beast-like self eventually takes form too. His loneliness….takes over.”

Well geez, way to make me feel worse. I continued to remain silent, looking down to the floor once again. But then Rin continued speaking.

“But in the end…that flower would eventually bloom once more, recreating his heart to live on as a human being.”

I fell silent again. But this silence wasn’t because of feeling bad. It’s actually quite the opposite. A realization? No. It felt…realistic real….as if I felt something inside of me died once and relived again.

My eyes looked over at the screen where the beast had just seen belle again during the mob attack. He looked so happy to see her. Like all the darkness in his eyes flew from his eyes. My attention then went to Rin, letting my eyes gaze at him for a brief moment. He was staring at the screen with a smile on his face as he watched the film.

It’s no surprise to suddenly feel the rapid heartbeat began to pound against my chest. But this feeling…Rin was right. It always feels like…something in me was revived.

I suddenly felt a smile form at the corner of my face from just staring at him. Without him realizing it, I shifted myself a bit so I could quickly steal a kiss on the cheek from him. His cute smile turned upside down as he began to look over at me. All I could do was just laugh.

“O-Oi! That was so sudden….” He said while being surprised, letting his cheeks turn a bit pink. Despite him being so surprised, all I could do was just smile up at him.

“Yeah…that’s because you’re smart, you know that?” I said, snuggling up to him a bit closer while letting an arm wrap around his waist a bit.

“Well yeah, but why mention that now?"

Without looking up to him, all I could do was smile while staring at the screen.

“Because before I met you…I really did felt like the rose inside of me died for not finding a path in life….but meeting you, Rin.” Just when I mention this, I looked up to him once more.

“…the rose inside of me bloomed once again, knowing that it has another reason to do so.” I finished.

Rin’s expression became extremely soft as he pulled me close once again to kiss my forehead.

Yes. I’m so certain. The reason why my heart was able to put so much care into life was because Rin had shown me the many ways to see how beautiful the world is. How unique, diverse, and inspiring people can be. That is why I will make sure the new rose inside of me will keep moving forward with him.

So, until the very last rose petal in my heart, falls to the ground.… I’ll always be waiting here for him to pick it up again…now and forevermore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I managed to do day 2 before it was over. Anyway, here's the second part. Not sure what I'll do about the third day since I haven't even started that lol. We'll see how that goes~
> 
> **Song heard while making this:** Evermore by Josh Groban


	3. Confession 🦈

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confession isn't complete without tears. ~~and sakura petals~~

Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok.

Seconds slowly turn into minutes. Then minutes turn into hours in this restaurant. At least this is what it feels like when waiting for someone...very special. Today was going to be the day. The day where I try to express my feelings.

These feelings….felt almost the same that I had when I swim with anyone. But for some reason, it felt stronger….this feeling didn’t even occur until I just spent time a lot of time with her. 

Sousuke even notices how I can’t keep myself calm when I’m around her. He keeps saying stuff like how I’m always acting overly casual. Almost the same way I did with Haru and the others. The only difference was how I kept making these flirty challenging comments to her. That’s unrealistic. When have I ever—

“Rin! Hi!”

My thoughts froze as ice as I turned over to see the person I’m waiting for.

“Ah, Hey Ina—“

I voice stopped itself. Nearly as if someone was sucking the voice out of me. But it almost felt like an angel did.

That angel was her. It was Ina. Has…she always worn make-up? No. She would never wear make-up, I rarely even recognize her. Is this really her? It can’t be. But it has to if she called out....right?

“You okay Rin? Hello~!” I blinked as her voice broke my thoughts again. I ended up clearing my throat a bit, as I began to speak.

“Y-yeah…you look great…!” I said while smiling up at her. Ina’s eyes blinked for a moment before taking a quick seat on the chair.

“That’s the first. It’s because I wear make-up huh?” The minute that she mentions this, her face turns to look at the ground.

Not true. Far from that.

“Ah, not really, I just never seen you wear make-up at all before. But even if you did I could care less about that. At the end of the day, you are you.” I reassured. I looked down at the table to see her slender hands fidgeting around. She always has the habit to let her hands play around a bit. It was…cute…

I felt a small smile form on my lips as I reached out for both of her hands. immediately, her eyes left the ground to look over at me. But all I could do was laugh a bit underneath my lips.

“You’re face is red again.”

Before I got to say anything else, she swiped her hands away from me, clearly trying to hide the cute expression from her face.

“H-How would you know?! I have tan skin! You shouldn’t even be noticing this!” She yelped, placing her hands onto her face. I only could snicker.

I only hope that after tonight, she would understand the feelings I have for her….is uncontrollable.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The rest of the night went pretty smoothly. Thanks to the free tickets to a restaurant that Sousuke gave us, Ina and I had a pretty good meal. Who knew she and I share the same types of food too?! It’s amazing how much I keep learning from her about how much common things we both had. Makoto was right.

The two of us kept laughing and playfully commenting about cheesy jokes as we walked together around a small park. Can’t say which park, but it was somewhere quiet…somewhere nice…

…Somewhere where it’s only just the two of us.

“Can you believe that Haru lost the bet about which one of us grew taller? He was so confident about it too.” I said, trying to find different ways to hold back my laughter.

“I remember you told me about that at one point! You ended up winning by an inch huh?” Ina asked.

I nod at her response. “Yeah. A close call too.” Just when we both were just standing around, I took a quick scan around the park. There was a nearby bench near the cherry blossom tree. Maybe we could sit down for a few. We did have to stop halfway because Ina got tired.

“Hey, there’s a bench nearby that tree. Do you want to rest up there?” I asked while turning over to her. Just as I did, all I saw was her staring over at me.

Was there something in my face? Leftover barbecue sauce? I hope not.

“Oi…”

Still silent. Damn. She’s really lost in thought. I let out a sigh while letting my head ruffle a bit of her head.

“Wakey-Wakey~,” I said. At last, I got a reaction.

“Huh? Oh…yeah…right. Let’s go take a seat! aha….” Ina said while scratching the back of the head. Spacing off like that was always common for her. Yet, I can’t help but to worry how often she does this.

But it didn’t matter….what mattered the most was this moment. This night.

Most importantly, her.

“Then what are we waiting for? We should head over.” Without even thinking, I took a hold of her hand and started to walk over to the bench with her.

I wouldn’t be lying if I said that it took a lot in me to hold her hand. _a lot_. Sure I sometimes do the same with Sousuke but that’s because he always gets lost! Sometimes you just gotta guide people around to not lose them.

Well…Ina might be the same as Sousuke, especially when she’s gets lost in her thoughts…but…I think this is the first time I’m holding her hand.

The first….time….huh…?

Damn…did it suddenly get hot? Or am I imagining things? This is probably the first time I’ve even probably shown such a strong attachment to suddenly do something so impulsive. Well, aside from going with Makoto to where Haru was training at.

Damnit…I don’t think I can hold it in anymore. 

I let my footsteps stop its tracks, letting my face look at nothing else but at the ground. If I have to look at her face one more time, I’d probably break.

“Rin? Is something wrong?” Ina called out from behind. I guess it was my turn to fall silent. The only thing I could do was just tighten my handgrip onto her’s.

“…Hey…Ina…” I meekly called out.

“I’m here, still. What’s going—"

“I have to tell you something” I warned. With a deep breath, I let go of her hand and turned around, still refusing to look at her dead in the eye. This is it. No going back.

“Okay...what's up?” Just as she questioned me, all I could hear was footsteps, but I still refused to look up.

“Would you believe me if I told you…how nervous I am right now?”

The sound of her footsteps quickly stopped. At this rate, I’m expecting a cheesy answer like a no—

“….you too huh?”

Wait…what?

I looked up from the ground, and finally, let my eyes meet with hers. Dark brown eyes that’s shine like a gem. Smile that can take my breath away, and skin that’s like no other.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well…I mean…uh…It just depends on what you’re nervous for. Cause I’m always nervous about lots of things.” Ina mentioned while giving out a nervous laugh. It is her nature that she would be nervous about a lot of things. But it was strange to hear her say that she was nervous _too_.

“So, does that mean right now counts?” I mentioned while putting my hands in my jacket pockets.

“W-Well…yeah, but didn’t you said you were nervous right now? What reason was that for?” She asked. She’s so cute when she’s angry and makes excuses. Without even realizing it, all I did was just looked at her, letting the grin on my lips form itself.

Maybe that even calmed down my nerves a bit. Eventually, my grin quickly faded as I recalled what I wished to say to her.

“To be honest Ina, I thought that all this time, my life was set since high school. The rushing feeling to swim against rivals, especially to Haru. Having friends that give me endless support, and coming home to a supportive family while fulfilling a wish my dad never had. All these moments, it gave me a purpose in life and build me for who I am today.” I let out a sigh before facing up at the cherry blossom tree in front of us.

“I was positive that having all those things is all I ever need in my life until I die. But then…when I met you, my mind suddenly had another question appear, ‘everything?’” I spoke out.

I remembered it clearly, since the moment I genuinely got to know Ina. There was one more thing I wanted. But it was something that no one would give. Not even Haru, Sousuke, Gou or anyone else I knew would fill the question that kept lingering in my mind and heart. I wanted….Someone I can share so many things in life with, someone I can always run for when I accomplish something or when I make history. Someone….who I can share all these life moments with when I die.

Even if the world suddenly knew my name, who will treasure my own values for what I am? Who would I wake up to when no one else is there? Who do I see…to finish off my day? That’s when I knew, something in my life was incomplete. The one person I can see all this happening was right in front of me.

“W-Wait a minute Rin! You already told me all these things about your friends and myself but why are you—"

“Because I don’t have this, ‘everything’ that my mind kept asking.” I interrupted, feeling my own hands inside of my pockets clutch into a fist.

“My life wouldn’t be the same if you’re not with me.” I could feel the rapid heartbeat pounding against my chest, waiting for it to explode any minute. It would be a lie to tell myself that I’m not scared of the outcome from this. But I can safely say that I wouldn’t regret it asking her than not asking.

“That’s why….Ina…” My shaken voice fell silent, trying to get the courage to say it. To say that I want to hold her in my arms, to keep her safe, support her with her own dreams, to hear her loud yet excited voice.

With all that was in me, I looked from the ground and up to her.

“….I love you…and I want you to be my girlfriend.”

As soon as the words left my lips, a sound of a gushing wind flew by. The only sound I could hear next was something dropping to the ground. But I didn’t bother looking what it was, all I could do was just look at her. The woman that captured my hopeful heart.

Ina didn’t move. She didn’t speak. All there has been was just silence, and the dry wind. The next thing I knew, led my face to suddenly soften.

Was she…crying? Why? What is—

“I’m dreaming…I’m obviously dreaming I know it…” She said, trying to slowly wipe the tears with her hands. The next few words were so soft, I couldn’t catch what she was saying. I decided to walk up towards her, hoping to make her understand how serious I am with this.

“No dream. We save that for our careers.” I said, coming to a full stop where we are both an arm's length away from one another. Oh, how I wish to just pull her in for a hug to brush her worries away.

Little did I knew, that she beat me to it. Ina launched herself to me, letting her face bury itself to my chest. Her hands tremble like a leaf as she held onto me for dear life. Just when I heard her say something, she sounded faint.

“Oi…you know I can’t hear you when your face is—“

Before I got to finished, she looked up to me.

“I love you too…I-I’m sorry…I can’t stop crying because…a-all this time I always felt like I had n-no chance and y-yo-you didn’t seem like the type to be interested in anyone…or an-any-anything. Maybe pr-pr-prettier girls could have had a chance compared to me who just chubby or bags under my eyes wouldn’t even co-compete. I always felt like I was hopeless at this point about you and I just—"

Without waiting for her to say the rest, I wrapped my arms around her and leaned in for a kiss, finishing the sentence for her. When I did, I could feel my own tears fall from my face.

All this time, she held such negative feelings like this…yet she never told anyone?! Why….just why?

After a few seconds, I broke off the kiss. Even when we stopped, I still held onto her, almost the same way she held me.

“You’re more than what you think…” I weep. “So much more…” I let my head rest on her shoulder as I continued to let my own tears fall. To see her cry was almost like a shot through the heart. A broken piece that was just shattered. All I did from here on out, was just hold her…hoping I wouldn’t get pushed away.

I continued to shed tears until I felt her return the hug. Eventually, the two of us just cried, holding onto each other as the wind blew once again. However, the moment stopped when I felt something fall on my head. I pulled away from her a bit to catch my head. My hands felt something rather soft. When I picked it up, I realized it was something I knew all too well.

“A petal…how ironic.” I said, sniffing a bit after crying. When I looked over at Ina, all I saw was a soft smile through her dry tears as she made the cutest giggle. “You sure are romantic aren’t you?”

I only laughed at her question. “Yeah…I am,” I said. This night was so special, and so was she. I could see the future was much brighter than before. Being in the moment with the love of my life was something I never would have thought to come across. Never in my life, I would find a woman, like Ina, with who I can share my whole world with. 

But, I want to give love a try…

Because, I love her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I would write a drabble. But apparently not lol. Idk, confessions to me are meant to be meaningful and long. It’s something that takes lots of effort for most people to do. I know for sure, it wouldn’t be easy for me and Rin, so making this fanfic was pretty damn hard. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> **Song I heard while making this:** "Because I love her [ending credits version] from the swan lake movie." 


	4. Rain 🦈

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The oceans will always be connected. But what about the skies?

“There was a time where an old colleague mentioned about this one phrase which I’ve been using quite often! _‘Let’s blow this taco stand!’_ ”

When will be the day that Mihail will know how old these phrases are?! Wasn’t that thirty years ago?!

“Rin-kun! Do you know the best nutritious to make when it comes to preparing such a perfect body like yourself?”

I gave out a heavy sigh from hearing my coach’s comment. 

“Well…you just need to eat at a regular timing and not intake too much fat to your diet.” I recommended. 

“Such wise advice! I’ll make sure to write that—hm?” Mikhail’s words stopped as he glanced over somewhere. I turned over to see a window nearby and notices the raindrops dripping down from the window.

“Ah….looks like the forecast was not in our favor today,” Mikhail said. “Looks like practice is canceled for today. Can’t risk getting men with perfect muscles to get sick on a beautiful day.” Just as my coach mentions his, he turns over to see me.

“Looks like you’re excused for today then Rin-kun. Better take the nearest umbrella too while you’re at it.”

"But Mikhail….isn’t the pool indoors—"

"NO EXCUSES!” He cried out in English.

“I can’t risk swimmers going inside the pool then heading out suddenly out to the rain where they can catch a cold real quick. So practice is canceled. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

Mikhail and I waved one last time to each other before parting to our separate ways again. Rain again? Looks like I’ll have to go to a nearby gym again. I went to the locker room to gather my stuff and gathered my belongings. Once I did, I locked up the room, assuming I’m the last person out.

Rain. A weather I don’t prefer, but also don’t hate at the same time. Goes to show it’s time to just take things easy.

As I reached the entrance, I felt something vibrate in my pocket. I picked up the phone to see the ID. Looking at it made my heart stop. It was Ina.

With a grin on my face, I answered the call and held it against my ear.

“Hey babe.”

“Hi Rin! Am I interrupting you?”

“Ah, no. I was actually had practice canceled today.”

“Really? What happen?”

“There’s just a lot of rain going on, so I’ll be walking to a nearby gym instead.” I answered.

“Wait…there’s rain there too? It’s pouring here!”

I felt my eyes widen a bit. Rain in America? Isn’t it suppose to be almost summer there?

“Right now?” I asked.

“Yeah. But…even if it’s at an odd time of the year. It’s kinda…nice” Ina said.

My eyes looked up to see the sky, where the raindrops fall to the ground.

The rain can bring lots of gloomy atmospheres to people. It might not be the best day for everyone who’s outside like myself. In fact, it sucks. Maybe the rain was never made for me.

“I’m not a fan of rain. Just prevents me from swimming.” I said, turning away from the door’s entrance and took a seat at a nearby bench.

“Oh. Well I mean that’s understandable too. You’re not home where the rain can be hard to avoid when you’re outside doing stuff.” She reassures. Even still…there’s nothing that can come good from it.

“You’re probably right.” I said while crossing my legs.

“Hey Rin, do you remember the time you told me about how the ocean connects you to your friends?” When Ina mentions this, I was a bit bewildered.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Have you ever thought about the skies can be the same way?” She asked.

“Not….exactly.”

“For some reason. I do. The clouds and the earth always seem to be moving on it’s axis. Each time the Sun goes down here…the sun goes up where you are! Maybe this rain can give you an idea that…you’re not alone when it appears. Rather, whatever happens here, might happen to you. With the rain, I keep thinking about…us.”

As soon as Ina mentioned this, I looked back at the entrance door where the rain continues to pour. She’s right. Rain happens everywhere, no matter where you go. Clouds from above go together as if they are the planes flying into a different country. It shows that the world is large which is enough to really show how the world went through so many things. It’s an exciting feeling…because the rain I see….can be the same rain she has. If she has rain, then it’s the rain I have.

Even through the skies….we are connected, just like the oceans. 

“Rin? Hello~?”

My mind blinked out from its thoughts as Ina called out for me on the phone.

“Yeah, I’m here. You’re actually….right. I probably never even realized it.”

“Really? I’m glad my words can make you see things better! Oh! I also have to go! I didn’t even realize it was getting late here.” She said. God again?!

“Ina….”

“I know, I know! Your dating a night owl so what do you expect?!” She defended. I could only let out a sigh at her response.

“Make sure you get enough sleep then.” I said.

“Yeah, I will babe! But just remember, the next time you look at the rain and feel alone or sad, just think of me…and listen to the rain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in one day. I'm on a roll tbh LOL. But I guess it's also cause I'm avoiding doing homework. I felt a bit creative too so I might as well put something up! While I might not be in time, I still got it done regardless and that's all that matters! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
>  **Song I heard while making this:** "Listen to the Rain, composed by Amy Lee (From Evanescence)"


End file.
